​We are all aware that the “corona-conomy” has been bad for certain businesses while it has been mediocre or even good for others. But these generic labels are typically very binary and tend to imply the extremes. The true impact on individual sectors tends to vary significantly from the average.

​After four months of large M&A deals keeping invested capital levels afloat, capital markets experienced an absolute drop off in M&A activity. According to preliminary Pitchbook data, there were only 269 deals for a total of $12.2 billion, representing a 23% and 85% decline, respectively. Compared against the same period one year ago, May’s totals are roughly half.

​Easing of quarantine restrictions and hopes for a vaccine gave US equities a boost during May, adding on to strong year-to-date performances in large cap indices. Year-to-date, the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones gained 10.6%, 27.3%, and 2.3%, respectively, while the Russell 2000, a small cap index, is down 4.9%. In May alone, the large cap S&P 500 and Dow Jones gained 4.5% and 4.3%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq and small cap Russell 2000 gained 6.8% and 6.4%, respectively. Optimism surrounding reopening economies  supported equities during May.